Mahakankala Buddhist Center

Mahakankala Buddhist Center is offering classes in Montecito beginning this Thursday!

Meditation: Patience and Wisdom for a Peaceful Life
Thursdays, March 26 - April 9 7:30-8:30pm $7 suggested donation
Montecito Library 1469 East Valley Road
with American Buddhist Monk Kelsang Rigpa

Overcome anger, stress and anxiety, and cultivate
inner peace, happiness and patience...

Other upcoming events:

Tonight, Wednesday, March 25 7-8:45pm

The Bodhisattva Warrior - The Power of Patient Acceptance

$10

Friday, March 27 6:30pm

Food for Thought: Meditation & Pot-Luck Dinner

$5 donation

Bring a dish, drink or dessert and enjoy a short talk and meditation

along with a meal with like-minded friends...Everyone welcome...

(If you don't have the time to get something come anyway :)

Sunday Morning, March 29, 9:30-11am $10 suggested donation

Prayers for World Peace: Teaching on Wisdom

Monday Evening, March 30 7:30-9pm $10

Overcoming Loneliness

Learn how to apply meditation and Buddha's wisdom to heal this painful state of mind.

Tuesday Morning, March 31 10-11:15am $10

Heart Jewel: The Essence Practice of Kadampa Buddhism

Learn how to rely upon faith, prayers and meditation to deepen your

experience of the the spiritual path.

Looking forward to seeing you soon...

Your friends at MBC

22 West Mission Street, Suite B

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

563-6000

MeditationInSantaBarbara.org

Amazing Group of International Musicians get Together for Change

Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music.

The entire week is jam-packed with live tour dates and more...here's a run-down:

Follow the tour with us at: http://twitter.com/playing4change

Monday, March 23:
· KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, 9:30am Mark Johnson interview live
· Tonight Show with Jay Leno - band performance!
· KCET Los Angeles, airs one hour program from documentary film.
Please pledge and help us spread the broadcast to other cities:
Go to: kcet.org to check the schedule.
· The Knitting Factory, Los Angeles Live tour date!
Last minute tickets may be available at the box office beginning at 7pm.

Tuesday, March 24
· Slim's - San Francisco Live Tour Date
Last minute tickets may be available at box office on the day of show.

Wednesday, March 25
· Showbox at the Market - Seattle, WA. Live tour date!
Tickets available at box office on the day of show.

Tuesday, March 31
· Highline Ballroom - NYC. Live tour date
Tickets available at: highlineballroom.com

We're also less than a month away from the release of Songs Around the World CD/DVD! You can preorder in our site store or buy it beginning on April 28 wherever music is sold and at your neighborhood Starbucks.

We also now have GREAT new merchandise in our store - check it out

One Love!
Playing For Change

Save the La Conchita gardens!

As many of you know, I recently left the little seaside town of La Conchita for the somewhat larger town of Carpinteria. This morning I made the short trip back down to my former residence to see my friends Tom & Jacque among others. While sipping coffee and catching up on life in the community, I was very disturbed to hear of plans by the railroad to bulldoze the strip of land along the tracks that fronts the community. This land has been tended to by the residents of La Conchita for years. They've worked to beautify it, keep it clean, and improve the community's image. Some of the residents who live along Surfside, which is the front street closest to the tracks, went so far as to create gardens all along the tracks. One such garden (pictured) is nestled around the drainage tunnel that the residents use as an access to the beach. My friend Tom Fuller has done much of the work maintaining it and, as you can see, it is splendid. However, due to some complaints about obstructed ocean views made by neighbors whose homes are up at the base of the hill that the community sits under, the railroad came in and first erected an ugly metal fence across the front of the neighborhood and now plans to bulldoze the gardens away. After everything this community has been through and fought for, it seems shameful to destroy something that harms none and compliments the whole community.

If you'd like to help save the La Conchita gardens, please contact:

Zoe Richmond
Director, Corporate Relations and Media (Western Region)
Union Pacific Railroad
Phone: (916) 789-6019
Cell: (916) 960-7511
Email: zrichmond@uprr.com

Pretty Things

There's this awesome store in Carp that sells home furnishings called porch and almost everything in the store is made from recycled and/or eco-friendly materials. The place is owned by two girlfriends (their names escape me) who have great taste. The building is interesting because it was originally built as a bank and the bank vault now houses an art gallery. I walk passed this store nearly every day and lust after all the pretty things.

I want this chair, those tables, and the lamp.

More from Porch

The Best of Friends

My life has been so blessed of late, really ever since I made the move out of La Conchita and into Carp. It seems as though I regularly meet the most interesting people just by going out and encountering life in the community. My friend Angela (left) is one of those people. We met at Caje where her boyfriend Kevin works. I remember the day we met, she was sitting with her dog Ohana and she ordered a Health Freak smoothie and a shot of wheat grass. I later found out this was her daily dose. I asked her about the drink. I don't recall what was said after that, it's all history now. Angela is a spiritually centered person with an affinity for making those around her feel good. She's a massage therapist and clued into other natural healing modalities. She's also a biblical scholar, though she might not agree with that appellation, and she'll do almost anything to engage someone in a healthy (?) debate (argument?).

A couple days ago, Angela, Ohana, and I took an afternoon walk along the beach and through the salt marsh, which is a favorite walking path in the town. We found this somewhat hidden beach out where all the wealthy folks have their vacation homes on the beach. There's a point where you can follow the coast on around the point, depending on how high the tide is, or you can go in toward the marsh, which is the way we went, and you'll come upon this serene little beach where the ocean and salt marsh waters mix forming a clear lagoon. The water seemed very inviting but it's still kind of cool this time of year. The area was covered in this colorful ground flower. It actually grows rampant all along the coast. Its leaves are succulent-like and the flower is a light purple with a yellow center. The plant's colors range from yellow to green to purple in varying shades. It is a range of colors I previously thought could only be perceived through a psychedelic experience. And the sand along the shore is so soft, it's like walking in snow. The way it gives under your feet feels like a therapeutic experience. Imagine a mud wrap for your feet. We walked through the sand, back and forth, just taking in the feeling and Angela took a picture of our feet enjoying the sand. Ohana ran to and fro looking for rocks to conquer and lapping up salt water that he'd later expunge (on the patio). Later we got expelled from the salt marsh by a birder who reminded us that dogs are not allowed in the marsh. It's true, there are signs, but Ohana isn't some random dog. He's a sentient being with a big heart and not into eating birds. Below are some pics from the area but the flowers shown are not the flowers described above that were all over. Those are just some random patch of wild flowers and my camera didn't really capture the depth of their color. They seemed to jump out of the landscape in vivid technicolor. The day was filled with sight and sensation wonders.

Angela's feet succumb to the sand.

My feet enjoy the sandy beach too.

Vibrant marsh flowers surrounded by the swirling mass of the psychedelic ground cover. I may have to take a "trip" down here.

Ohana squinting in the sun

Somewhere between

Ever have one of those days when you just don't have the energy to do anything? I'm sure you have. We all encounter those days every once in awhile. I had one of those days yesterday. I knew something wasn't quite right when I awoke from a very deep sleep at 12:30 in the afternoon. I rarely (almost never! but I guess that's what rarely means) sleep that late unless my body really needs it. So I completely gave in and gave myself a mental health day or, maybe, it was more of a day of unconsciousness. I spent most of the day in and out of wakefulness and experiencing a strange mix of dreams and present reality. It was similar to that state when you are just coming out of a dream but aren't quite awake and it's as if both realities almost merge. My whole day was like that yesterday. Sometimes it seems as if my whole life is somewhere between dream and wakeful consciousness. While there's probably a scientific name for this state, we should come up with a layman's term. Please email me with any ideas and I'll post them here.

1. Between Time

Lest we forget ...

Libra Horoscope for Today - So Cool

Take a break from all the activity around you today, and try to find a quiet place to contemplate the things that have been happening. Time spent reflecting on your life is hardly ever time wasted. Things are going to be changing soon, and it's important for you to understand what you may be leaving behind. Appreciate it while you still have it in your life, because it won't be there soon. Good things are coming your way and you're understandably excited. But first you must be grateful.

The Parris Love Tribe

This week I had the rare opportunity to meet an amazing family. They're a traveling clan of new thought free-living creative progressives. They've been traveling the country, staying at camp grounds, meeting local people and carrying their message of community building wherever they go. Jeff (looks over the driver's seat left) is an accomplished drummer and has a vision for a drum ensemble made up of other folks who choose to become part of the Parris Love Tribe (PLT) and travel from spot to spot sharing the love and the rhythmns. It will be known as Khaotik Harmony. I had the chance to play with him a few times and groove raised was stellar each time. I spent a few fantastic days with these people, sharing food, awesome conversation, ideas, the drums, and the love. While I'll miss them as they continue their journey around the country, I know they'll be back to Carpinteria some day soon.

PLT is Jeff, Maresa, Trinity Jude, and Zayne August

Trinity Jude blowing bubbles

Zack and Angela

The New Zoo Revue

I met Kevin and Angela at Caje, which is my fav coffee joint in Carpinteria. Kevin is a barista there and Angela is his girlfriend. They're also friends of the PLT and were there for most of my time hanging with the tribe. Thankfully, I've been blessed by knowing these two special people too. Since moving to Carp, we've had some more time to hang out and enjoy one anther's company. Angela and Kevin are very giving people and also want to share the love with anyone they meet. They've also traveled the roads a little and we share a connection with Florida. They may also be heading back out on the road to meet the PLT in the near future.

We spent a day recently checking out the Santa Barbara Zoo. But, before we could get there, we drove up to Goleta to check out a fifth wheel trailer that was for sale on Craigslist for cheap. They told me the night before that it might be in pretty bad shape but I tried to remain the optimist and said, "I'm sure it's great!" It wasn't. It was really small, even for two, and the inside seemed as if a werewolf had been trapped inside during the full moon. The amount of work required to put the thing in usable shape would have been more than what the guy was asking for it. Anyway, after that episode, we decided a little food was in order and I was jonesing for some coffee. First we cruised by Trader Joe's and gathered up some PBJ with crumbly bread. We didn't mean to get crumbly bread, it was just one of those "I can't make up my mind" moments, so Angela just grabbed whatever looked good. It was latter in the car as Kevin tried making a sandwich that he found the bread to be crumbly. Then we had to hunt for decent coffee. We know they're not all made equal. Anyway, we cruised up to State Street and parked near a Starbucks. Actually, I'm not all that keen on Starbucks anymore but it'll do in a pinch. So I got my caff fix and we hung out on the side of the road feasting on PBJ and caffeine. Eventually we really made our way to the zoo. Below are some pix from the adventure.

Strange mating habits

This one's for Zack.

You can't tell but we're two stories up.

Pink Flamingoes

This was a very Zen like experience. The three of us sat immobilized while we watched the strange antics of these pink birds. They walked back and forth in their small area with their heads held high. Their little heads would look right and left almost rhythmically. There would be the occasional fellow on one foot sleeping.

Red Panda - So Cool

Leopard

This leopard was originally in a little nook near the top of its cage. Angela spied him out and I had to get on top of the fence to see it up close as well. The leopard actually growled deep and low for us before leaping down to another perch. If it hadn't been for the cage between us, I would surely have been scarred to death.

Amazing tree at the Santa Barbara Zoo

My home town Speaks Up for Human Rights!

D.C. Needs to Hear from the People REGULARLY

Carpinteria Again

Alright, I don't know what it is about moving lately but I seem to have been doing it quite a bit lately. Maybe I should be a travel writer? As many of you know already, I've been in a state of flux for awhile, really ever since I left the sunshine state for the other sunshine state and have been trying to put down new roots. This is the second time in four months that I've moved to Carpinteria. What is it about this place that keeps drawing me back? Carp, as the locals call it, is a small seaside town located somewhere between Summerland and La Conchita (where I was until recently) and boasts the safest beach in California or may be the U.S. or possible even the world. I'm not sure why its beach is considered so safe but it may have something to do with all the rules associated with using it. The town itself is really convenient in that it has all the essentials but they're all individually owned little businesses, not much in the way of chains. We do have a Starbucks but we have two much better coffee house, one I frequent called Caje and the other is Coffee, Bean, and Tea Leaf. We also have a very good vegetarian/vegan restaurant called Chamomile Cafe. We have a one-show movie theatre, which is fine by me as one show is about all I can do at any given time. My apartment is centrally located behind the library (on the east), the fire station (on the south), and the grocery (on the north). So eating, reading, and rescue are all within easy access.

I've met some very cool people in this town, predominantly at Caje. One of the baristas and his girlfriend live in the most charming trailer. Really! It's very cool and sits on its own piece of land with a little fence around. They have it decorated like a traveling gypsy caravan which is so me. They're great people! Angela is a massage therapist and Kevin is a true "jack" of many trades. His current "jack" is as a barista. Although I can definitely vouch for his culinary skills too. He's an inspired chef. He's one of those cooks who can instinctively pull ingredients together and somehow it turns out great. I'm also an instinctual cook but my creations are best only served to myself.

The other day while having my morning latte at Caje I met this artist who does these incredible and organic-like sculptures using scrap metal. He creates functional pieces like tables and chairs and planters, some of which are displayed at the cafe. Anyway, as we were talking, I learned that his family has been in the area since the early 1800s and at one time had a building supplies business that was like the home depot of its day. I believe it was through the family biz that his art came.

And, this is shows how interconnected people can be or it's like a six degrees of separation thing, where there is this customer who I've seen in Caje periodically and it turns out she is my roommates friend. And, both she and Heather (my roommate) are into natural health and healing through natural means. Evidently they try all kinds of different things and are currently experimenting with some product made from water that has been effected by meteors and magnetized. I don't entirely understand it but according to them it is very effective.

Oh, this is interesting (I hate that word but it comes up in my writing all the time), there is a very cool flea market that comes to town once a month and they set up right in front of my house. I can literally look out the living room and kitchen windows and see stall after stall of vendors selling all kinds of kitch, jewelry, and other miscellaneous stuff. Our house shares the property with the local history museum and I believe it's the history museum that sponsors the market. There's also a pretty decent farmer's market every Thursday where I can get all kinds of organic veges and fruits and home baked goods. All this goodness within a short walk. Luv it!

What else can I say but that Carp is cool and it'll be my home for now.